Chevrolet Spark EV Will Be Sold in U.S. in 2013, Says GM

Just the Facts:

• The Chevrolet Spark EV, a minicompact that slots below the Chevrolet Sonic, will be sold in select U.S. and global markets starting in 2013, said General Motors on Wednesday.
• Key details such as range, quantities and pricing will be announced later, although GM said the pint-sized EV will be sold in California.
• GM said the Spark EV is designed to provide customers with "a variety of electrification solutions."

DETROIT — The Chevrolet Spark EV, a minicompact that slots below the Chevrolet Sonic, will be sold in select U.S. and global markets starting in 2013, said General Motors on Wednesday.

Key details such as range, quantities and pricing will be announced later, although GM said the pint-sized EV will be sold in California. The automaker said that A123 Systems, a U.S. supplier, will provide the advanced nanophosphate lithium-ion battery packs that will power the Spark EV.

The standard gasoline-powered Spark will go on sale next year in the U.S.

"The Spark EV is another step in Chevrolet's plan to provide customers with a variety of electrification solutions to address the lifestyle and transportation needs of people around the world," said Jim Federico, Chevrolet's global vehicle chief engineer for EVs in a statement.

GM also issued a video of a Spark EV, showing a white version of the car being plugged in at an unidentified carport and then being driven on a rain-slicked road. The video underscores the reality that the Spark EV has advanced beyond the drawing-board stage.

The Spark EV will be GM's first all-electric vehicle since the EV1, which the automaker launched in 1996. The ill-fated EV1 has since embedded itself in the popular culture, thanks to the movie Who Killed the Electric Car?, a documentary that chronicles GM's unpopular decision to kill the EV1.

The Spark EV puts GM on a more competitive footing with Nissan, which already sells the electric Leaf, as well as niche automakers such as Tesla, which sells the Roadster and is readying the Model S sedan. Ford announced earlier that it plans an all-electric version of the Ford Focus beginning next year.

The Spark also will be in the vanguard of other electric vehicles planned for the U.S. from Mitsubishi, Toyota and Kia, among others.

The Spark EV further fleshes out a GM lineup already occupied by the hybrid Chevrolet Volt. The Volt is not a true EV, as Inside Line noted earlier.

"The Spark EV offers customers living in urban areas who have predictable driving patterns of short commutes an all-electric option," Federico said.

Feedback from participants in Chevrolet's electric vehicle demonstration fleets in Shanghai (Sail EV), Korea (Cruze EV) and India (Beat EV) are being incorporated into the Spark EV, noted GM.

The Spark EV announcement is part of the automaker's celebration of Chevrolet's 100th anniversary.

Inside Line says: GM appears to be getting serious about EVs.